Why Measure Moisture?

13 July 2017

A look at industry applications that benefit most from moisture measurement

Across many industrial segments— e.g. oil and gas, semiconductor manufacturing, power distribution and
power generation—there is a common need that is not frequently discussed but is extremely important:
Measuring and controlling the impact of moisture.

In industrial applications, moisture is a contaminant. Either in gas or in liquid form, moisture has the power to
dramatically reduce product quality, damage equipment and increase operational costs. Moisture is able to
penetrate virtually any surface including metals such as copper, bronze and carbon steel.

As a result, in compressed air and gas applications moisture can render test results useless, cause corrosion
in piping and equipment, produce poor product quality, lead to ice formation at low temperatures, generate
premature wear and equipment failure, and react with other chemicals and gases to distort industrial
processes. It is obvious moisture levels must be monitored and controlled.

However, unlike other process variables (pressure, temperature, and flow), moisture is unique in that it is
extremely difficult to accurately and consistently measure within industrial applications. Because moisture
poses a significant threat to operations, understanding how to measure moisture is a first step in mitigating its
harmful effects.

Humidity is the unit of measurement of moisture in gases. Relative humidity measures the amount of water
vapor present expressed as a percentage of the amount needed for saturation at the same temperature. It is
most commonly used in meteorological applications. Absolute humidity is most frequently used in industry and
measures the mass of water vapor present in a unit volume of air at a given temperature and pressure.

Dewpoint is the most commonly used engineering unit for measuring absolute humidity. Dewpoint is the
temperature at which dew or condensation forms if a gas is cooled at constant pressure. Dewpoint
measurement indicates how much water vapor is present in the gas stream and aids in determining how to
avoid condensation formation.

Two Means of Measurement

When measuring dewpoint in industrial processes,

there are two technologies generally used: capacitive
sensor technology and optical (chilled mirror) sensor
technology.

Capacitive sensors respond to small changes in water

vapor pressure, feature a rapid response and a broad
calibrated range, and are relatively inexpensive to
purchase and operate. The sensors are fairly stable,
are not harmed by contact with water, and are fully
interchangeable without the need for hygrometer
recalibration.

In comparison, optical (chilled mirror) sensor

technology offers substantially better accuracy at an
increased price. These instruments cool a gas under Figure 1: Optical (chilled mirror) hygrometers, like the Optisure
test to the point where dew or frost forms on a metallic pictured above, measure dewpoint by cooling a gas under test until
mirror, providing a fundamental measurement of dew or dew or frost forms on a mirror. (Source: Kahn Instruments, Inc.)
frostpoint. The formation of dew or frost is precisely
monitored by an electro-optical system and the
instrument automatically heats the mirror to vaporize the accumulated dew or frost, recalibrates itself for
altered reflectively due to contaminants, and then resumes measuring.
Virtually every industry must manage the effect of moisture for a variety of reasons. The remainder of this
article will focus on specific industry requirements and uses.

Moisture Measuring: Industrial Applications

Industrial plants such as refineries, general manufacturing or

paper mills use dry compressed air to power pneumatic tools
and machinery, control and operate valves, conveying systems
and other equipment. Either permanently installed or portable
hygrometers can be used depending on the application.
Permanent devices, such as the hygrometers from Kahn are
installed at the outlet of the air dryer and can provide local
and/or remote dewpoint readings. Portable hygrometers can be
quickly used to spot check dewpoints at any location.

Moisture Measuring: Power Generation and Distribution

In electric power generation facilities, whether fueled by coal,

Figure 2: The Easidew I.S. transmitter measures the natural gas, oil or nuclear power, measuring the compressed air
moisture content in hazardous area applications. dewpoint is an operational requirement for the plant’s pneumatic
(Source: Kahn Instruments, Inc.) controls and instrumentation.

In certain power plants, another major concern is the

measurement of moisture content of hydrogen used to cool an electric power generator. Because hydrogen
can be explosive when mixed with air, a dewpoint sensor must be intrinsically safe or explosion proof, such as
the Kahn Easidew IS Transmitter or Easidew PRO XP, which can be installed at the outlet of a gas dryer or
anywhere in the compressed air system to monitor dewpoint.

High voltage substations use circuit breakers that operate from 100,000 to 400,000 volts. These circuit
breakers are filled with sulfur hexafluoride that must maintain low moisture levels to prevent condensation.
Otherwise corrosive, acidic, damage-causing byproducts may form in the circuit breaker.

Again, in this industry, portable hygrometers can be used to spot check gas moisture levels or permanent
dewpoint transmitters can be installed for continuous readings.

Moisture Measuring: Furnaces/Metal Heat Treating

Failure to properly monitor and control moisture in heat

treat furnaces (anodizing, annealing, hardening) risks
poor metal quality and potential equipment failure. The
presence of metallic particulates and combustion
byproducts in these processes requires a sampling
system with appropriate filtration to protect the dewpoint
sensor and obtain accurate readings.

When a furnace is not pressurized and there is no

natural flow of gas to the dewpoint sensor, a vacuum
pump is used to draw a sample from the furnace to the
dewpoint sensor. A hygrometer, such as the Kahn Figure 3: Capacitive technology hygrometer (Kahn Cermet II)

Cermet II Hygrometer or Easidew Transmitter can be permanently installed to provide local and remote measurement of

used to measure dewpoint from the furnace. dewpoint. (Source: Kahn Instruments, Inc.)

Moisture Measuring: Pipelines and Natural Gas Production

For oil and natural gas pipelines, water is used to pressure test during initial construction and following any
pipeline repairs. After pressure testing, water is purged from the pipeline through hot air drying where moisture
is evaporated into vapor and pushed out the pipeline by flowing air. To verify the dryness of the pipeline, two
hygrometers are used. One is typically installed at the inlet of the pipe while the other is installed at the outlet.
These instruments allow engineers to determine if the pipe is sufficiently dry for the flow of oil or gas.

In natural gas production and transportation, the gas sources are often dirty, corrosive, and laden with
moisture. This moisture can corrode the pipes, decrease flow capacity and lead to blockage or equipment
damage. Dehydrators with filters are used to both dry the gas and remove contaminants. A permanently
installed moisture analyzer such as the Kahn Cermet II Hygrometer or Easidew Transmitter can be used to
monitor the dehydration process in production plants and a portable (spot check) hygrometer, such as the
Kahn HygroPort IS can be used to monitor pipeline dewpoint.

Moisture Measuring: Semiconductor Manufacturing

There are two areas where dewpoint measuring is critical to operations in semiconductor manufacturing:
Cleanrooms where semiconductor wafers are produced and stored, and in ultra-high purity gases used in the
manufacturing process.

To prevent contamination of materials and to eliminate static electricity caused by moisture, optical (chilled
mirror) technology is used to measure dewpoint and relative humidity. Meanwhile, dewpoint measurement in
ultra-high purity gases is accomplished by instruments such as Kahn’s Pura High-Purity Gas Dewpoint
Transmitter to measure trace moisture (dewpoints as low as -120C or 200 parts-per-trillion).
Moisture Measuring: Air Separation and Ozone Purification

A typical air-separation plant separates atmospheric air into such primary components as nitrogen, argon,
oxygen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and helium. Bottled separately, the gases are used in a variety of industrial
processes. Permanently installed as well as spot-check hygrometers are used to measure moisture content.
Kahn products appropriate for this use include the Cermet II Hygrometer, Easidew Dewpoint Transmitter, and
for portable spot-check measurements, the Easidew Plus Portable or HygroPort Portable solutions.

Ozone generators are employed in purification and sanitation processes that use air as a feed gas to the
generator. This gas must be dry to prevent arcing in generator electrodes and corrosion of system
components. Hygrometers are used to monitor and control dewpoint of the feed gas so that it remains
sufficiently dry to extend the life of the generator.

Summary

Regardless of industry, there is a common problem with the potential to disrupt operations – the negative
impact of moisture. Without proven instruments to properly measure this contaminant, poor product quality or
equipment failure may result. Within harsh and challenging industrial environments, Kahn hygrometers can
measure and control moisture to insure your products are of the highest quality and your equipment operates
efficiently.